Cardiology

An average heart beats 100,000 times a day, pumping some 7.5 liters of blood through its chambers. Over a 70-year life span, that adds up to more than 2.5 billion heartbeats.

Overview

The Cardiac Center at MLH provides one of the most comprehensive programs available for the treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, including a rapid treatment program for patients with acute heart attacks. Patients receive assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention and evaluation of individual needs from a team of experienced cardiologists, surgeons, nurses, and technicians. Services include non-invasive testing, diagnostic cardiac catheterization, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology studies and cardiac rehabilitation.

Life Saving Readiness in Acute Care

For patients hospitalized as a result of a cardiac event (e.g. angina, heart attack, irregular heart beat), experienced staff at MLH Hospital provide specialized care in the intensive and progressive care units as well as in the emergency room. Emergent balloon angioplastiy with stenting and “Clot busters,” are readily available to save valuable heart muscle for those experiencing a heart attack.

Following a cardiac event or heart surgery, careful rehabilitation is required to regain heart health and prevent a recurrence of problems as well as a state of the art equipped CSU and cardiac rehabilitation unit is available to ensure the safety and swift recovery of the patient in an experienced and well monitored atmosphere.

In our state-of-the-art laboratories, members of the Electrophysiology and Pacing Section offer a wide range of electrophysiology and mapping procedures to patients with suspected rhythm abnormalities. The procedures may be used to diagnose a heart problem or to treat it.

In the Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing section, we offer a variety of highly specialized approaches to heart-rhythm problems. These include:

Sophisticated remote monitoring devices to help diagnose arrhythmias that come and go. New implantable devices are also available to help physicians monitor volume changes in the heart for those with heart failure and provide ongoing monitoring for those with complex arrhythmias or devices.

Physicians and nurses in our Device Clinic perform about 1, 000 device checks each year to monitor the function of implanted devices.

Medical management and follow-up of patients with arrhythmias, using the most current medical regimens available.

A full range of the newest pacemaker and cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) devices to provide individualized treatment for many irregular heart rhythms.

Biventricular pacemakers, to improve left ventricular function, in patients with heart failure. This treatment complements pacemaker and ICD therapy used to treat arrhythmias associated with heart failure.

Removal of leads from damaged and infected pacemakers or defibrillators.

Syncope Clinic uses a full range of diagnostic tests including the head upright tilt test and hemodynamic, blood volume and autonomic reflex testing to evaluate patients with syncope (fainting) or other neurogenic disorders.

The excellence, experience and skill of the members of the Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing, combined with true caring for our patients’ well-being, make us the regional leader in the diagnosis and care of patients with atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, Wolfe Parkinson White syndrome, flutter and other abnormal heart rhythms.